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Smart Speaker Usage in CSRA: A Conversation With Alexa

Jun 23, 2022 2:50:30 PM / by Larry Julius

Me: Alexa, how many consumers In the Central Savannah River Area (CSRA)have access to a smart speaker?

Alexa: According to a recent Nielsen study, 151,074 Augusta, Georgia area adults own a smart speaker. This is 36.1% of the local population.*

Me: Alexa, what exactly is a smart speaker?

Alexa: According to Wikipedia, A smart speaker is a type of loudspeaker and voice command device with an integrated virtual assistant that offers interactive actions and hands-free activation with the help of one "hot word" (or several "hot words"). Some smart speakers can also act as a smart device that utilizes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other protocol standards to extend usage beyond audio playback, such as to control home automation devices. This can include, but is not limited to, features such as compatibility across a number of services and platforms, peer-to-peer connection through mesh networking, virtual assistants, and others. Each can have its own designated interface and features in-house, usually launched or controlled via application or home automation software. Some smart speakers also include a screen to show the user a visual response.

Me: Alexa, what brand of smart speakers are Augusta consumers likely to own?

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Topics advertise in augusta, advertise in CSRA, smart speakers, amazon echo, siri, alexa, google home, amazon, apple

Advertising On Augusta Radio: How Smart Speakers Add Value

Sep 28, 2021 3:34:01 PM / by Larry Julius

Since 1930 when WRDW-AM signed on, CSRA small business owners have been advertising on Augusta radio to market the goods and services they sell.

Lately, some of these advertisers are voicing concerns, though, that the accelerating use of smart speakers could erode the effectiveness of commercials on local stations. Current research, however, reveals that these devices actually extend the reach of the medium and its ad content.

More than 109,000 consumers in Augusta have a smart speaker in their homes, according to Nielsen. This is 28% of the local adult population.

Smart speakers are internet-enabled devices controlled by spoken commands and capable of streaming audio content, relaying information, and communicating with other devices. 

According to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) data, Amazon Echo (aka Alexa) accounts for 69% of all smart speakers in use. Google's smart speaker makes up another 20% of the market. The remaining 11% of the market comprises Apple Home (aka Siri), Sonos, and Bose.

CSRA consumers can use their smart speakers to accomplish a diverse range of tasks, including accessing news, weather, and sports information; turning on lights in the house; shopping; and food delivery.

The most common use of a smart speaker, though, is streaming audio, including Augusta radio stations, according to eMarketer. Edison Research's Share of Ear Study indicates that consumers devote 13% of their total time using a smart speaker listening to AM/FM radio stations. This is second only to the time spent listening to Amazon Music at 19%.

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Topics CSRA small business owner, augusta small business owner, effective radio advertising, online advertising, radio advertising, small business owner, small business, digital advertising, streaming audio, smart speakers, small business marekting, small business advertising, radio listening, amazon echo, siri, alexa, google home, internet Advertising, how to advertise

Who Listens To Augusta Radio Stations Online?

Aug 27, 2021 3:41:50 PM / by Larry Julius

Before Augusta, Georgia radio station WRDW signed on in 1930, local listeners were dependent on broadcasts from distant cities such as Atlanta. These early stations required tall antennas and miles of buried copper cable to transmit their signals.  Most radio receivers at the time were mostly handmade and involved a piece of crystalline mineral and a wire coil.

Over many decades in the CSRA, both the broadcasting and receiving equipment improved. In the mid-1920s this meant store-bought radios. In the 1930s this meant car radios. In the 1960s this meant transistor radios. In the 1970s this meant boom boxes. And, in the 1980s this meant Walkmen. But, despite these improvements, the fundamental technology of big towers sending a signal through the air to a radio receiver remained the same.

In 1994, there was a new way for CSRA consumers to listen to the radio. That was the year local stations across the country began streaming their signals over the internet and listeners could use their computers (later their smartphones and smart speakers) as receiving devices. No big antennas, no wires, and no actual radio needed.

In 2021, according to Nielsen, Augusta radio reaches more local consumers than any other advertising media option.

Neilsen finds, too, that 34.8% of all consumers who listen to an Augusta radio station over-the-air will, at some point during the month, also connect to a local station via the internet. 

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Topics best way to advertise, best way to advertise in augusta, best way to advertise in csra, online advertising, radio advertising, streaming audio, smart speakers, internet, streaming media, advertising options

How Smart Speakers Affect Advertising On Augusta Radio

Feb 4, 2021 3:18:21 PM / by Larry Julius

Augusta's first radio station, WRDW-AM, began broadcasting on June 25, 1930.  The process of getting the station's programming from the studio into the home of local listeners required tall-transmitting towers with miles of underground copper wire in the middle of massive fields.

For the next 63 years, this massive investment in real estate, steel, and cooper was the only method of delivering a radio advertiser's message into the ears of Augusta consumers.

In 1993, however, new technology permitted Augusta radio stations to augment the reach of their tall towers by simultaneously streaming its over-the-air programming via the internet. This provided local consumers with the choice of listening to their favorite stations on their car radios, clock radios, and boom boxes or on an internet connected devices like computers, smartphones, or tablets.

Today, based on estimates from Edison Research, 11% of listening to local radio stations occurs on a streaming media device.  The ability for AM/FM to migrate from their tall towers to internet streaming allows Augusta radio to reach more local consumers every week than all other media.

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Topics best way to advertise, CSRA small business owner, augusta small business owner, best way to advertise in augusta, best way to advertise in csra, small business owner, small business, streaming audio, smart speakers, small business marekting, advertise on radio, small business advertising, amazon echo, siri, alexa, google home

Augusta Radio: Which Stations Do CSRA Consumers Prefer?

Jan 26, 2021 1:25:27 PM / by Larry Julius

There are 26 radio stations that serve consumers in the Central Savannah River Area of Georgia and South Carolina. Each provides a unique format of news, sports, music, entertainment, and inspiration. Some stations broadcast in English. Others serve Spanish speakers. Some stations cater to millennials. Others appeal to Baby Boomers.  No doubt, there is a local radio station that fulfills the preferences of every listener.

Each week, according to Nielsen, 393,762 adults tune-in to their favorite Augusta radio stations. This is more people than watch local TV, cable, or streaming channels. This is more than use Facebook and Instagram. This is more than read newspapers or connect to Pandora and Spotify. 

Despite the abundance of Augusta radio stations to choose between, Nielsen reports that, on average, adult consumers only listen to 2.2 each week.  So, which stations do local consumers choose?

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Topics radio commercials, effective radio advertising, millennials, radio advertising, streaming audio, smart speakers, in-car listening, in-car audio, radio listening, listening location, radio formats

What CSRA Consumers Listen To On Their Smart Speakers

Jan 30, 2020 7:19:45 AM / by Larry Julius

Over 100,000 consumers in the Central Savannah River Area now own a smart speaker. Ownership of these devices, including Amazon Echo and Google Home, has grown five-fold since the beginning of 2017.

According to Adobe Analytics, significantly  more consumers are asking Siri and Alexa to play music than any other activity.

Many CSRA small business owners depend on Augusta radio to advertise their goods and service. So, how does the use of smart speakers as an audio device affect their radio advertising's ability to reach local consumers? The answer is: none at all.

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Topics best way to advertise, consumer spending, online advertising, radio advertising, small business owner, small business, digital advertising, streaming audio, smart speakers

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